Coin-controlled lock



May 12, 1925. 1,537,651

v D. C. MORGAN COVIN CONTROLLED LOCK4 Filed June 17. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet1 INVENTOR amm/ D amo/esa A? ORNEY v May .1.2, V1925. 1,537,651

D. C. MORGAN COIN CONTRQLLED LOCK INVENTOR nor/ALU amena/m A May l2,l1925.

t D. c. MORGAN COIN ,CONTROLLED LOCK Filed June 17. 1922 4- sheets-sheet4 Ffa. f2.

rfa. n.

Patented May 12, 19.25.

UNITED STATES 1,537,651 PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD C. MORGAN, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, .ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN SANI-TARY LOCK CORPORATION, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF IN-DIANA.

COIN-CONTROLLED LOCK.

To @ZZ fio/wm t may concern.'

Be it known that I, DONALD C. MORGAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-ControlledLocks, of which the following is a specification.

'This invention relates to coin controlled locks and is designedprimarily for use on closet doors, although it will be understood thatthe same may be used for any suitable purpose where a coin controlledmechanism is applicable. One feature of the invention is the provisionof a main operating tumbler for releasing the latching ward from itskeeper when a coin is introduced into the lock and an additional orsecondary tumbler for operating and releasing the ward without requiringthe introduction of a coin.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means forarresting and maintaining a coin, after it is introduced into the lock,in position to engage with parts of the lock whereby the main tumblermay be operated for releasing the ward from its keeper, additional meansbeing provided for automatically releasing the coin after the tumblerhas been given a partial rotation for releasing the latching ward.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means foradjusting the coin arresting and supporting means whereby coins ofvarious diameter may be used for operating` the lock.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means forautomatically locking the primary tumbler in neutral position whereby itmay be operated for releasing the latching ward after the coin has beenreleased thereby avoiding any possibility of losing the coin through therelease thereof before the main or primary tumbler has been suflicientlyoperated to fully release the latching ward. j

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means inconnection with the latching ward for automatically releasing thelocking mea-ns employed for holding the primary tumbler in neutralposition at such time as the latching ward is thrust into the lock bycoming in contact with its keeper, as when the door to which the lock isat.- tached is moved to closed position.

A further feat-ure the invention is. the

provision, in connection with an opening in the wall of the lock for theadmission of a coin, of an automatically operated shutter having a slottherein for the admission of a coin, which slot is in registration withthe coin opening in the casing'of the lock at such time as the parts ofthe lock are in locked position, butwhich is moved out of registrationwith the coin opening in the casing of the lock when the primary tumblerisoperated to release the latching ward, said shutter having a wing orprojection thereon which guides and maintains the coin in uprightposition when first introduced into the lock and which contacts withvthe coin and causes the shutter to swing to inoperative position duetothe swinging movement of the tumbler carrying the coin being operatedto release the latching ward.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a detent fornormally holding the shutter against reverse swinging movement untilsuch time as the occupant operates the inner handle for releasing thelatching ward, means being associated with the secondary tumbleroperated by the innerhandle, for releasing the detent from the shutter.

A further feature of the invention is the provision, in connection withthe main tumbler, of a combined stop and coin controlling member with Ihich co-operates a swinging pawl which engages with the stop member andprevents the operation of the main tumbler until such time-as a coin isintroduced between the -tumb-ler and the outer end of the pawl, saidstop being adjustably connected with the tumbler so that it may beadjusted to accommodate coins of different thicknesses whereby when acoin of a less thickness than that for which the stop member is set isused. it will not elevate the end of the pawl out of the path of thestop, consequently the tumbler cannot be operated for releasing thelatching ward.

And a further feature of the invention is in so positioning the swingingpawl with respect to the main operating tumbler that in the event aVcoin of improper thickness is introduced into the lock,'an additionalcoin or coins may be entered into the lock'to cause the pawl to'operatewithout interfering with the operation of the tumbler or clogging thelock.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully set forthand pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings, which are made a part of this application,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the lock ready for use,

Figure 2 is a sectional View thereof as seen on line 2-2, Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a sectional view as seen on line 3-3, Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a sectional view as seen on line 4k-4,Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a sectional view as seen on line 5 5, Figure 2,

Figure 6 is a detail sectional view similar to Figure 4, showing theposition of the parts of the lock when the wardhas been operated torelease the same from its keeper,

Figure 7 is a similareview with the operating parts of the lock inneutral position,

Figure 8 is a detail sectional view as seen on line 8.*8, Figure 3,

Figure 9 is a detail sectional view showing the position of thesecondary or auX- iliary tumbler when operated by the inner handle forreleasing the latching ward and likewise for releasing the detent fromthe shutter,

Figure 10 is a ydetail sectional view through the lower portion' of thelock casing rshowing means for cont-rolling and covering the-visualspace over the coincounting register,

Y Figure y11 is a detail vfront elevation of the primary ward operatingtumbler,

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the shutter,

Figure 13 is a top plan View of the latching ward, and

Figure 14` is a detail sectional view as seen on yline 14-14 of'Figure 1. Y Referring to the drawings in which similar referencenumerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1indicates a casing in the lower portion of which is provided a slidingpanel 2 through which access may be had to the ir.- terior of the casingfor removing the coins therefrom, said panel being secured in closedposition by a lock 3. The rear face of the casing 1 is provided with aremovable wall 4 which may be secured to the casingV in any suitablemanner, but preferably by providing an overhanging lip 5 at the upperend ofthe casing, while the lower endy of the wall is secured inposition by introducing screws 6 through the wall and into clips 7y Xedto the interior of the casing.

Extending transversely through the cas-y ing 1 is a tumbler shaft 8 uponwhich is mounted the hub port-ion 9 of a main or primary tumbler 10,said tumbler being preferably constructed more or less in the form of aplate and having its side edges presented to the front and rear walls ofthe casing, the upper end of the tumbler having a tongue 11 which entersa notch 12 in one face of a latching ward 13, said tumbler, when movedin one direction, striking a shoulder 14 at one end of the notch 12 andmoving said ward lengthwise and releasing the latching end 15 thereoffrom its keeper (not shown). One end of the shaft 8 extends through astrap 16 and is provided in its end with a slot 17 with which engages atongue 18 of an operating pintle 19, the outer Yend of said pintlehaving a knob 20 attached thereto. The hub 9 is fixed to the tumblershaft 8 in any suitable manner, as by means of a set screw 21, so thatwhen the knob 2O is operated the tumbier 10A will be swungin the yarcofa circle.

Loosely mounted on the shaft 8, between one end of the hub 9 and thestrap 16, is a shutter 22 which co.-operates with an opening 23 in thefront face of the casing 1 and through which a coin is introduced intothe casing, the shutter 22 having a .slot 24 through which thev coinpasses to position over oneface of the tumbler 10 and between saidtumbler and a wing 25 extending at right angles to the face of theshutter 22 and at one edge of the shutter, said wing properly guidingthe coin to position over the face of the tumbler. Wing 25 is engaged bya portion of the tumbler 10 and swings on the tumbler shaft to move the.

slot 24 out of registration with the opening 23. The shutter 22 isyreturned toy and normally held in its initiall position by means of aSpring' 26, one endYK of which is connected with the strap 16 and theopposite end to an extension 27 on the lower end of the shutter, whilethe shutter is held in its inoperative position by means of a detent 26,the lower end of which is adapted to engage a notch 29 formed'on oneedge of the shutter, a spring 30 causing the lower end of the detent tomove into engagement with said notch when the shutter is swung in thearc of a circle on the shaft 8,Y said detent retaining the shutter ininoperative position so that no additional coin can be introduced intothe lock until such time as all the parts of the lock have been returnedto their initial position. On the face of the shutter 22 is shown theword Vacant which registers with the opening 23 when the shutter isinoperative, while at another point on the shutter are the words In use,which latter words move into registration with theropening 23 when theshutter has been operated by the movement of the main tumbler therebyconstantly indicating the condition of the lock.

Mounted in ears 31 on the rear face of the tumbler 10 is a shaft 32 towhich are secured a pair of pins 33, the free ends of said pinsextending through recesses 34 in the side edges of the tumblers 1() sothat when a coin is introduced through the slot 24 its descent will bestopped by said pins and the coin held in position over the tace of thetumbler so that when swinging movement is imparted to the tumbler,through the medium of the knob 20, the coin (see Fig. 8) will engage theend of a pawl 36 pivoted to the casing 1 and cause said end of the pawlto ride over a stop member 37 attached to the 'face of the tumbler 10thereby permitting the tumbler to be swung to its full stroke andrelease the latching ward from its keeper. Each of pins 33 may be placedin any one of a series of holes 'formed in the shaft 32 (see Fig. 11) sothat coins ot various circum'terences may be employed for operating thelock, whereby different valued coins may be required for operating thelock, and when the pins are set to receive a coin ot' a largercircumference and incidentally ot' a larger value, a smaller coin, whenintroduced into the lock, will drop between the pins and fail to releasethe lock. The stop 37 is adjustably mounted on the tace of the tumblerl10 and may be regulated to project beyond the face of the tumbler adistance equal to the thickness of the coin beingused, so that in the'event a coin of less thickness than the height of the stop isintroduced into the lock it will not lift the end ot the pawl 36 clearof the stop 37, consequently the latching ward will not be released tromits keeper. rlhe end of the pawl 3G is so positioned with respect to thetace of the tumbler 10, that in the event a coin of less thickness thanis required to raise the end of the pawl out of the path of the stop 37,is entered in the lock, an additional coin or coins sufficient to raisethe pawl above the stop may be entered into the lock without cloggingthe lock, and likewise the shutter 22 will move sutliciently to permitthe additional coins to enter. Then no coin is entered in the lock, thetumbler 10 cannot bc operated, as the stop 37 will strike the end ot'the pawl and prevent further swinging movement of the tumbler, a` spring38 being employed for normally holding the pawl in the path of thel stopwhile the downward swinging movement of the pawl is limited by strikinga stud 39.

The pins 33 are swung downwardly and out ot the path of the coin so thatthe coin may descend into the lower part of the casing 1 by attaching ashank 40 to the shaft 32, said shank extending substantially at rightangles to the pins 33 and in the path ot a stationary bar 41, the shaftbeing normally held in contact with the bar through the medium of acoiled spring 42. As soon as the tumbler' 10 starts to swing to move theward 13 to unlocking position, the end ot the pawl 33 strikes the coinand swings upwardly so that the end thereof passes beyondthe stop 37 andincident to this movement the shaft 32 will be rotated by the shank 40dragging over the bar 41, thereby swinging the pin-s 33 downwardly andout of the path of the coin so that by the time the end ot' the pawl 36passes above the stop 37 the coin will be released and drop to the lowerportion of the casing. To avoid the possibility of the tumbler 1()returning to its initial position, should the knob not be given asuflicient turn to fully tree the ward from its keeper, therebyrequiring that an additional coin be inserted in order to release theward, a ledge 43 is formed on the hub 9 which will have moved upwardlya. sutlicient distance to permit the toot portion 44 of a swinging latch45 to pass beneath the ledge just prior to the releasing ot'V the coinfrom the pins 33, consequently the tumbler 10 will be held in a neutralposition until such time as the swinging latch is disengaged from theledge, and the knob 2O may be turned as often as often as necessary torelease the ward from its keeper without the introduction of anadditional coin. j

As soon as the foot portion 44 has been moved out ot' the path of theledge 43 the tumbler 10 will be instantly returned to its initialposition through the medium offa spring 46, while the foot portion otthe latch 45 is caused to swing below the ledge 43, when said ledge iselevated, by means olf a spring 47. The shank end 48 ot the swinging`latch 45 enters a notch 49 in the Jface of the ward 13 opposite thenotch 12 and is adapted to strike a shoulder 50 when the ward is movedto a position to disengage from its keeper, said shoulder swinging thelatch on its pivot and moving the lower end thereof outwardly away fromthe ledge 43, but so long as turning action is being imparted to thehandle 2O for operating the latching` ward to release it from itskeeper, the latch 45 will return to position below the ledge 43 be'lorethe tumbler can return to its initial position. The tumbler 10,there-tore, can only return to its initial position in the event theknob is released and the door to which the lock is attached. moved toclosed position, the movement of the ward lengthwise, incident toContact with its keeper, causing the shoulder 5G to strike the shank 48of the latch 45 and swing the toot portion thereof from beneath theledge 43, whereupon the spring 4G will instantly swing the tumbler 10 toits initial position and the ledge 43 below the tace of the footportion44. When the parts of the lock are in thisv position they cannot beoperated to open the door, except by manipulating the inner knob orhandle 51, which is on the inside of vthe closure or door to which thelock is attached and is connected with a pintle 52 which passes throughthe rear wall 4 and enters a bore 53 in the inner end of the tumblershaft 8, but is independently movable of said tumbler shaft. To releaset-he ward 13 from its keeper by rotating the pintle 52, a

- secondary or inner tumbler 54 is mounted on the pintle 52 and iscaused to swing, due to the rotation of said pintle, by means of a pin55 which passes through the pintle 52 and has its ends entered in slots56 through the secondary tumbler 54, the movement of the secondarytumbler 54 in one direction causing the upper end .thereof to contact.with a shoulder 57 at the opposite end of the notch 49 from theshoulder 50, the continued swinging movement of the secondary tumblerVreleasing the latching` ward 13 from its keeper whereupon the door towhich the lock is attached may be 4swung to open position. As soon asthe knob 51 is released, the secondary tumbler 54 is returned to itsinitial position by means oi' a. spring 58, the swinging movement ot'the tumbler in this direction being stopped by the bar 41.

The swinging movement ofthe secondary tumbler 54, incident to releasingthe ward 13 from its keeper, is also utilized for releasing the detent28 from the notch 29 of the shutter 22, said tumbler having an extension59 which contacts with a lever 60 pivoted to the strap 16, the oppositeend of said lever 60 striking a shoulder 6l on the under side of thedetent 28 and imparting a. lifting action against said shoulder andswinging the lower end of the detent out of engagement with the notch29', whereupon the spring 26 will immediately swing the shutter 22 toit'sinitial position and again bring the slot 24 into registration withkthe opening 23 so that an additional coin may be introduced into thelock for operating the same.

In order to register the number of coins entered in the lock, theordinary or any preferred form of counter or register 62 is mountedwithin the casing 1, adjacent one side wall thereof, said counter beingoperated by connecting the crank thereof with the extension 27 ofV theshutter 22 through the medium of a link 63, consequently each swingingoperation of the shutter 22 will be registered on the counter.

In order to observe the number of operations oi' the shutter, a visualopening` 64 is provided in the wall oi' the casing 1 directly oppositethe opening in the counter or regisf ter and to exclude from public viewthe 'designating numerals on the counter, a

.plate 65 is placed on the interior of the casing, the upper end thereofhaving an elongated slot 66 through which is extended a screw 67, VsaidVscrew forming a guide tor the upper end of the plate 65, while the lowerend of the plate is heldin juxtaposition to the wallof the casing 1 bymeans of a strap 68, the lower end of the plate having a shoulder 69 atone edge thereof which normally rests on the upper edge of the strap 68and holds the visual opening 7 O in the plate out of registration withthe opening 64 in the casing, consequently the numerals on the counterwill be concealed from view until such time as the plate 65 is lowered.The shoulder 69 is prevented from casually leaving the strap 68 byproviding an extension 71 at the opposite edge of the plate 65 from theshoulder 69, the length of said extension being such that it willV restagainst the .inner face of the panel 2 when the shoulder 69 is restingupon the strap 68, but when the panel 2 is moved to open position andthe plate 65 swung until the shoulder 69 disengages the strap 68, theend of the extension 71 will swing'into the path. of the panel 2 andthereby prevent said panel being closed until such time as the plate 65is returned to its initial position, thus obviating any possibility ofclosing the panel without first concealing `from view the numerals ofthe counter.

In the event it is necessary for the attendant to release the-latchingward to open the door, he may accomplish such result without introducinga coin into the lock by entering a key into a lock 72 which is soarranged that it will engage an extension 73 on the latching ward andwill vretract the ward suiliciently to release the same from its keeperand the number of times that the ward is thus operated may be in dicatedbyv providing a counter 74 which is operatively connected with the lock72 in any suitable manner.

In operation, the parts being in their initial positions as indicated inFigures'l, 3 and 4, a coin is introduced through the slot 24 anddescends onto the pins 33, the stop 37 and the wing 25 guiding the coinonto the pins. The knob 20 is then turned to the right which moves thetumbler 10 and parts associated therewith to the positions indicated inFigure 6, while the shutter 22 will be turned to the position shown bydotted lines in Figure 3. This operation releases the ward 13 from itsAkeeper' and permits the door or closure to which the lock structure isattached to be swung open. Upon releasing the turning action on the knob20, the tumbler 10 and parts associated therewith will assume theposition shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, while the ward 13 willreturn to its initial position. It will be noted that the pawl 36 is notnow in position to interlock with the stop 37, consequently the tumbler10 may be manipulated any number off times for retracting the ward 13,even though the coin has been released from the pins 33. As soon as theoccupant enters the enclosure and swings the door to closed position,the engagement oit the outer end of the VWard, 13

with its keeper will force the ward inwardly and cause the shoulder 5l()to strike the shank 48 ot the swinging latch 45 and disengage the lowerend thereof from the ledge Y 43, said swinging latch being moved tosubstantially the position shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. As soon asthe foot portion 44 is moved from beneath the ledge 43 the spring 46will instantly return the tumbler IO to its initial position,consequently the ledge 43 will be so positioned that the foot portion 44will not pass beneath the same as clearly shown in Figure 4 of thedrawings. Likewise, the pawl 36 will have returned to its initialposition and any attempt to again operate the l-:nob 20 will move thestop 37 in position to engage the end of the pawl and prevent furtheroperation of the tumbler 10.

lVhen the tumbler', and parts associated therewith are turned to theposition shown in Figure 6 of the drawings, the shutter 22 will havemoved to the position shown by dotted llines in Figure 3, so that thelower end of the detent 28 will engage with the shoulder 29 on theshutter and will retain the shutter in this position until such time asthe inner knob is operated to again re# lease the ward from its keeper.

The ward 13 is retracted by the operation of the inner knob by theprovision ot the secondary tumbler 54, the turning of the pintle 52 inone direction swinging the upper end oit the tumbler 54 into engagementwith the shoulder 57 on the ward 13, the swinging movement ot thetumbler 54 continuing until the ward is entirely released from itskeeper, `whereupon the door may be swung to open position. Incident tothe swinging movement of the tumbler 54, the extension 59 will depressone end of the lever GO and swing the opposite end thereof against theshoulder Gl of the detent 28, and release the detent 28 from the notch29 of the shutter 22, thus releasing the shutter and permitting the sameto be swung to its initial position through the medium of the spring 26.By retaining the shutter 22 in the position shown by dotted lines in Figure 3, the slot 24 will be held out of registration with the opening 23,so that no additional coin can be introduced into the lo'ck until allparts of the loc-k have been restored to their initial locked positions.

Having thus 'ully described my said invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In a coin controlled lock, a latching ward, a tumbler for engagingand operating said ward, normally operative means for preventing theoperation of said tumbler, means carried by the tumbler and relativelymovable thereon for temporarily supporting a coin in operative positionon said tumbler to render said irst mentioned means inoperative, 'meansfor normally retaining the supporting means .in position to support acoin, and means for causing movement oi the coin support on the tumblerfor releasing the coin when the tumbler operates the ward.

2. In a coin controlled lock, a latching ward, a primary tumbler forengaging andV operating the latching ward, means for preventing theoperation of said primary tumbler, an adjustable coin support carried byand movably mounted on the tumbler for supporting a coin in positionover one face ot the tumbler for rendering said first mentioned meansinoperative and means for automatically moving the coin support out ofthe path of the coin when the tumbler operates the ward. K

3. In a coin controlled lock, a swinging tumbler, pivotally mountedmeans in the path of said tumbler, a stop on said tumbler adapted toengage the free end of the pivoted means for holding said tumbleragainst operation, means for supporting a coin in the path of thepivotally mounted means :tor causing the same to ride over said stop,and means for adjusting said stop for determining the thickness of thecoin to be used.`

4. In a coin controlled lock, a locking ward, a swinging tumblerengaging said Ward for operating the same, pivotally mounted means inthe path ot' said tumbler, a stop on said tumbler adapted to engage thefree end of the pivoted'means for holding said tumbler againstoperation, a coin support carried by the tumbler for supporting a coinin the path of the pivotally mounted means for causing the same to rideover said stop, and means for retracting said coin support relative tothe coin when the tumbler operates the ward.

5. In a coin controlled lock, a swinging tumbler, coin supporting meansassociated with said tumbler, means for adjusting the coin supportingmeans for regulating the circumference otl the coin to be used, anadjustable stop carried by'said tumbler, and pivotally mounted means inthe path of said. stop for determining the swinging movement of saidtumbler in one direction.

6. In a coin controlled lock, the combination With a tumbler, of a pairof coin supporting pins, a shaft to which said pins are connected, meansfor adjustably connecting said pins to said shaft, means for normallyholding the free ends of said pins in position to support a coin overone face ot the tumbler, means for rendering said tumbler inoperative,said means being rendered inoperative by the positioning of a coin onthe 'face of the tumbler, a shank connected to said shaft, and means forcausing said shank to rotate said shaft and'swing the ends of said pinsout of the path of the coin resting thereon.

CII

7. In a coin controlled lock, a Ward, an Operating tumbler therefor, astop carried by said tumbler, and a pivotally mounted paWl having itsfree end in the path of said tumbler and adapted to engage said .stopfor holding the tumbler against operation, said free end of the pavvlbeing spa-ced a distance from the face of said tumbler whereby .one ormore coins may pass between the tumbler and said end of the pa-Wl.

8. In a coin controlled lock, a Ward, a Ward .operating tumbler, a shaftXed to .said tumbler, a shutter mounted on said shaft and movableindependent of said tumbler, said shutter having a slot therethrough forthe passage of a coin, means on said shutter adapted to guide said .coinin position over one face of the tumbler and be engaged by said tumblervWhen the tumbler is operated.

9. In a coin controlled lock, .a tumbler shaft, a tumbler fixed to saidshaft, a slotted shutter mounted on said shaft and rotatableindependently of the tumbler, means on the shutter projecting into thepath of the tumbler yfor moving the shutter to inoperative position Whenthe tumbler is operated, means for temporarily locking the shutter ininoperative position, a v.pintle co-operating With said tumbler shaft, asecondary tumbler on said pintle, means on the pintle for causing saidsecondary tumbler to .ope-rate when the pintle is rotated, and meanscontrolled by the operation of the seconda-ry tumbler for releasing' thelocking means from the shutter whereby said shutter may return to itsinitial position.

l0. In a coin controlled lock, a :tumbler shaft, .a primary tumblermounted on said shaft and fixed thereto, means operable adjacent oneface of the lock for operating said shaft and tumbler, a pintleco-operating with said tumbler shaft and rotatable independentlythereof, a secondary tumbler mounted upon and opera-ble by saidpintlemeans operable adjacent the other face of thelock for operatingthe pintle, a shutter mounted on said tumbler shaft and movableindependently thereof, means on lthe shutter projecting into'the path ofthe tumbler vfor moving the shutter to inoperativeposition when ntheprimary ,tum-bler is operated, means for temporarily locking the shutterin inoperative position, and means controlled by .the fsecondary tumblerfor releasing the locking mechanism for the shutter.

ll. In al .coin ycontrolledlock, :a latching Ward, a tumbler forretracting said latching Ward, means for preventing the operation ofsaid tumbler in the absence of .a coin .of

proper thickness and l'circiunference, means for releasing the coinprior to the completion of the retraction of said Ward, and meansreleasable by said Ward Vfor limiting the return movement of saidtumbler Whereby said tumbler may Vreceive `additional operations forretracting .the Ward after the coin has been released from the tumbler.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 7th day of June, A. D. nineteen hundred and`twenty-two.

DONALD C. MORGAN.

